Sounding Off: Retail success elusive in Laguna

I feel the need to point out that I did not say chain stores would be more successful so we should change our rules to support them (“Survey shows shopping statistics,” Feb. 19). Be advised that I only analyzed the data that residents provided the Business Task Force via the survey. Those “opinions” were those of the Task Force, not mine.

Any references to chain stores, or for that matter anything else in the survey, was your fellow residents speaking their minds. My contribution was purely getting the survey published and putting the data in an organized presentation.

If that’s what you got out of reading the survey, perhaps I failed at the task. It is pretty obvious that if all you got out of reading the survey is that Laguna has “historically” had success supporting local stores you are sadly mistaken.

The data shows that Laguna Beach is a poorly performing retailing entity. The data clearly shows that Laguna retailing performs 20% below the California average. The data also shows that Laguna Beach retailing failures continue to drive more residents to the shopping malls and commerce centers only a short drive away.

Yes, we have a few local businesses that are successful, but that doesn’t make for a vibrant and economically sound retail effort in this town.

Defending them at the exclusion of recognizing the large number of retailing failures misses the real point. Except for restaurants, Laguna Beach is not a good market for most types of retail businesses.

What I think is beside the point, though, because too many Laguna Beach residents maintain a loyalty to the theory that the way to manage the future is through the rear view mirror. That what worked 50 years ago works today. That change not linked to some piece of bankrupt history is not good. That changing practices that continue to be unsuccessful cannot happen because it will only lead to destruction of what makes Laguna retailing so special. That residents with literally no business experience know better than successful retailing businesses and therefore should be denied any success in Laguna Beach.

Until these and other attitudes change, it really doesn’t matter what Dennis thinks. That’s what I think.

DENNIS MYERS lives in Laguna Beach.